Flight Training

Colton Harris-Moore, whose two-year teenage crime spree included the theft of several small airplanes — which he had taught himself to fly from manuals and videos — pled guilty in 2011 to 33 counts of burglary and theft, and now has served his sentence and is seeking funds through GoFundMe to start his legitimate flying […]

I’ve never felt it was appropriate that a pilot could obtain an instrument rating without flying in the clouds. From a safety standpoint—no matter what type of flying the pilot intends to undertake—it seems beyond ludicrous. I received instrument dual in IMC at a small airport in rural Iowa; one would think that it would […]

The Atlanta Technical College, in Atlanta, Georgia, is no longer certified to offer aviation maintenance technician training, the FAA said this week. The FAA issued an emergency order alleging that the college failed to keep proper records for students. Some grade records were incomplete or lacked instructor signatures, the FAA said, and several students who […]

Stemme is planning to deliver its $369,000 next-generation S12 motorglider to U.S. customers this coming December. The new S12 picks up where the Stemme S10VT (which will remain in production) left off. It sports a longer 82-foot wing and an impressive 53:1 glide ratio, more baggage space, an integral tail water ballast system, a Dynon […]

The FAA is working to comply with new legislation, passed in July, that will make it possible sometime next year for private pilots to fly without a medical — but right now, until new rules are in place, the current rules remain in force, and that has created some confusion. One examiner advised some pilots […]

Every year, just before Christmas joy descends upon on us like the shallow, weak excuse to buy yet more useless crap that the season has become, our sister publication, IFR, publishes its annual Stupid Pilot Tricks report. This is a summary of the most boneheaded, incomprehensible accidents and incidents that the skill-challenged among us manage […]

At 95, Gene Lemiski of Alberta, Canada, longed for decades to be a pilot again after a short flying career as a World War II airman. He got his chance recently with some left-seat time in a Cessna 172, along with an experienced flight instructor to ride along. Lemiski is a veteran of the British […]

Once every four days, on average, there is a fatal general aviation accident involving loss of control, the FAA says, so they are working to educate the GA community on best practices to ensure safe flight. “You can help make a difference by joining our Fly Safe campaign,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “I know […]

An out-of-the box approach to flying airport traffic patterns is the subject of a new study launched by the University of North Dakota. UND has partnered with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute to explore comparisons between the standard rectangular traffic pattern and an oval-shaped one the study is calling a “circular […]

Anyone who wants to fly the Icon LSA now can take instruction in Tampa, Florida, the company announced last week. The new flight center is open at the Peter O. Knight Airport, a general aviation field. The training program is offered not just to A5 position holders but to anyone who wants to sign up. […]